Tajikistan

United States
Energy Information Administration

February 1995

Tajikistan

GENERAL BACKGROUND

Though Tajikistan contains one of the world's largest reserves of uranium, the country has the lowest GDP in the former Soviet Union. Both the breakup of the Soviet Union and the 1992 Tajik civil war have left this agrarian economy stagnating at approximately its 1989 level of output. Despite these setbacks, the administration of Tajikistan's recently elected president, Emomili Rakhmonov, is attempting to rebuild the war-torn country and to institute more liberal economic policies.

In 1993, the sudden inflow of old rubles from countries leaving the collapsing ruble zone resulted in staggering levels of inflation. In response, the Tajik government requested that Russia allow it to enter the new Russian ruble zone, setting the course for monetary policy to be transferred to Moscow. While the new ruble was introduced into Tajikistan in January 1994, full integration had still not been achieved one year later. Though Russia continues to subsidize Tajikistan through credits, the insufficient supply of Russian rubles has resulted in Tajiksitan's inability to pay wages during the past year.

OIL

Tajikistan produces about 2,000 barrels of oil per day. It therefore must import almost all oil and petroleum products from states of the former Soviet Union.

NATURAL GAS

Tajikistan has estimated natural gas reserves of 1 trillion cubic feet. However, gas production was minimal in 1993. Tajikistan thus relies heavily on imports of natural gas from neighboring Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

In June 1994, Uzbekistan reduced natural gas transmissions to Tajikistan by 25 percent for failure to pay an estimated $46 million in outstanding gas bills. The Tajik government responded by immediately reducing gas supplies to municipal consumers.

ELECTRIC POWER

The Pamir mountains which divide Tajikistan create ample rivers which could be used in producing hydroelectric energy. In an attempt to develop this energy source, Tajikistan has borrowed 80 billion rubles from Moscow. The terms of the loan require that Tajikistan pledge 50 percent of the shares of the Nurek hydroelectric power station to Russia.

COUNTRY OVERVIEW

President: Emomili Rakhmonov
Prime Minister: Abdujalil Samadov
Independence: September 9, 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Population (1994E): 6.0 million
Location/Size: Central Asia/143,100 sq. miles, slightly smaller than Wisconsin
Major Cities: Dushanbe (capital)
Languages: Tajik (official), Russian
Ethnic Groups: Tajiks (64.9%), Uzbek (25%), Russian (3.5%), other (6.6%)
Religions: Sunni Muslim (80%), Shi'a Muslim (5%), other (15%)
Defense (1993): Army (2,500), CIS Forces (mostly Russian) (25,000), National Guard (NA), Security Forces (NA)

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

Currency: Ruble
Commercial Exchange Rate: N/A
Gross Domestic Product (Purchasing Power Equivalent) (1993E): $6.9 billion
Real GDP Growth Rate (1993E): -21%
Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices) (1993 Average): 38% per month
Merchandise Exports (1993): $263 million to non-FSU
Merchandise Imports (1993): $371 million from non-FSU
Major Export Products: Cotton, aluminum, fruits
Major Import Products: Fuel, chemicals, machinery

ENERGY OVERVIEW

Minister of Trade and Material Resources: Hakim Soliyev
Proven Oil Reserves (1991): 0.3 billion barrels
Oil Production (1993): 2,000 barrels per day (b/d), almost all of which is crude oil
Oil Consumption (1993): 17,000 b/d
Natural Gas Reserves (1993): 1 trillion cubic feet (tcf)
Natural Gas Consumption (1993): 0.58 billion cubic feet
Electric Generation Capacity (1993): 3.8 gigawatts
Electricity Production (1993): 17.5 billion kilowatt hours (kWh)
Electricity Exports (1993): 1.2 billion kWh

ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW

Total Energy Consumption (1992): 0.28 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu)
Energy Consumption per 1985 Dollar of GDP (1992): 41 thousand Btu (vs. 17.7 thousand Btu in U.S.)
Energy Consumption per Capita (1992): 47 million Btu (vs. 321.8 million Btu in U.S.)
Energy-related Carbon Emissions (1992): 2.2 million metric tons (less than 0.1% of world total)
Carbon Emissions per Thousand Dollars of GDP (1992): 0.32 metric tons (vs. 0.29 metric tons in U.S.)
Carbon Emissions per Capita (1993): 0.37 metric tons per person (vs. 5.3 metric tons in U.S.)
Major Environmental Issues: Industrial pollution, excessive use of pesticides, and soil salinity are the most prominent environmental issues.

OIL and GAS INDUSTRIES

Organization: Tajikistan produces extremely limited amounts of oil and natural gas. Exploration, drilling, and production is conducted by the Tajikneft company of Dushanbe.

Links to other sites:
Latest EIA Detailed Annual Data (1994)
1997 CIA World Factbook - Tajikistan

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File last modified: February 1995

Contact:

Erik Kreil
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